Representative Brandenburg, the bill carrier, walked the House Appropriations Committee’s Government Operations Division through amendment 25015301002 to House Bill 1009, the Agriculture Commissioner’s budget, and explained line-by-line changes before the panel voted to attach the amendment and give the bill a do-pass recommendation.

The amendment sets total all-funds spending for the agency at $53,213,000 and makes both base adjustments and one-time allocations. Brandenburg told the committee the amendment adds $1,100,000 for salary and benefit increases, $877,000 to replace amounts previously held in the new-and-vacant FTE pool, $520,000 for operating expenses and $4,100 for a capital copier purchase. Grants of $1,800,000 are included in the amendment, and the revised pipeline oversight program is funded at $500,000, Brandenburg said.

The amendment also includes a $3,000,000 one-time appropriation for a grasslands conversion/water restoration program and a $3,000,000 one-time allocation for APUC (noted in the amendment as funded from Bank of North Dakota profits). Brandenburg told the panel that those two one-time items account for a substantial portion of the increase in “other funds” on the worksheet.

Representative Bosch asked where the additional $9,400,000 in “other income” shown on the worksheet originated. David Grant, answering for staff, said the larger “other funds” line ties to the house sheet and largely reflects the two $3,000,000 one-time items (grasslands and APUC) and the remaining change from ongoing funding adjustments. Grant identified those other funds as a mix of federal funds, IRB funds and Bank of North Dakota resources, as reflected on the worksheet.

Brandenburg also explained other items in the amendment: a $776,000 increase tied to state fleet rate adjustments, $366,900 in additional funding for the Noxious Weed Program (sourced from the Environmental Rangeland Protection fees), and consolidation of two abandoned-oil-well programs into a single pipeline and royalty oversight program at $500,000.

The committee adopted the amendment on a voice/roll call vote (motion to attach by Brandenburg; second by Representative Bosch). The clerk conducted a roll call; members recorded as voting yes included Chairman Munson, Vice Chair Brandenburg, Representative Bosch, Representative Fisher and Representative Pyle; the motion carried 5–0 with two members absent. After that vote, Representative Brandenburg moved House Bill 1009 for a do-pass as amended; Representative Fisher seconded. The bill passed on the roll call as amended by the same recorded yes votes and the committee recessed.

The amendment and committee discussion also noted that the State Board of Animal Health must meet a 3 percent requirement noted in the materials and that some reductions — including a $412,000 reduction to general fund shown in the amendment — reflect changes to estimated other income.

The committee forwarded the amended bill to the next stage for further consideration.